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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Field Reports: Easy way to satisfy safety requirement

The Spokesman-Review

Soon, all Washington boat operators will have to pass the test.

Virtually everyone who operates a boat with an engine of 15 horsepower or more will eventually be required to pass a state-approved boating safety course, said Jim Roeber of the Spokane Sail & Power Squadron.

The requirement adopted by the Washington Legislature two years ago will kick in for the younger boat operators in January.

“It escalates each year to include everyone born after 1954,” he said.

The Spokane Sail & Power Squadron regularly offers a U.S. Coast Guard-approved 8-hour classroom course that meets state requirements.

The next class is scheduled to start Wednesday and will run on four consecutive Wednesday evenings at the squadron’s club house, 925 W. Jackson. Cost: $40.

Another four-session course will start May 15.

U.S. Power Squadrons is the largest non-profit, all volunteer, boating education organization in the world.

Rich Landers

HUNTING

Quail Forever migrates to West

Richland is the base for the first Quail Forever chapter in the West.

The Columbia Basin chapter has organized with 40 quail enthusiasts from Washington, Idaho and Oregon to boost California and mountain quail.

Although this region has healthy California quail flocks, more could be done to maintain and strengthen their populations, said Jon Murphy, chapter president.

The group is raising funds for its first project: putting 20 quail “condos’ on the ground before July 1.

Grass grows through the rolled-wire structures, giving the birds a safe haven for roosting, feeding and night protection.

Info: (206) 276-1030 or quailforeverwa@yahoo.com.

Rich Landers

NATIONAL PARKS

Rainier access open by May

A major Mount Rainier National Park entrance road, damaged by flooding last fall, will be open to the public by May 1, the National Park Service says.

The Nisqually Road, the park’s main year-round corridor, will open even as repairs to the park continue.

The total cost for repairs could approach $100 million.

Park Service Director Mary Bomar called damage from the storm unprecedented and said the full extent may not be known until the snow melts.

More than 18 inches of rain fell in the park in less than 36 hours in early November, touching off floods that swept away roads, campgrounds, trails and other facilities. The park was closed for weeks.

Associated Press